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05/12/2007: "Six Sigma vs. Lean Six Sigma"

How does Six Sigma compare with Lean Six Sigma?
Kermit S., VP, Lean Initiatives


They are the same. A proper Six Sigma deployment includes use of the Lean tools and methods. Six Sigma is the umbrella deployment strategy for implementing value-added improvement projects aligned with an organization’s business needs. These focused projects target Critical to Quality (CTQ), Critical to Schedule (CTS) and/or Critical to Cost (CTC) opportunities within an organization. Six Sigma uses a variety of tools and methods, including statistical (enumerative stats, statistical process control, designed experiments), problem solving, consensus building, and lean tools. A given project may not use all of the tools, yet most organizations find they need most of the tools at any given time. Lean provides essential methods to define value and waste to improve an organization’s responsiveness to customer needs. As such, the Lean methods provide a critical means of accomplishing the Six Sigma goals. Similarly, the Lean methods require the use of data, and statistics provide the necessary methods for data analysis. It's unfortunate that some Lean advocates, and some Lean Six Sigma programs, do not stress the critical importance of the statistical tools in their analysis, since this lack of rigor will prevent projects from realizing their full potential.
pak